(Hastings, MN) – Premier Bank and its 20 branches have selected United Way of Hastings (UWH) Food4Kids as an initiative to support by packing and donating 500 weekend student food bags.   

At its upcoming employee training on October 9, Premier Bank employees from all branches will gather and part of their training day will be giving back to the community.  Employees will pack 500 Food4Kids weekend student food bags.

“Most people don’t realize that student hunger is an issue in our community.  Premier Bank and its branches have really stepped up to the plate to help our local students,” said Mari E. Mellick, CAE, Executive Director.  “Having students arrive back to school on Monday mornings, with full stomachs and ready to learn, is a goal of UWH.  The caring employees at Premier Bank have partnered with us to help accomplish that goal.” 

UWH’s Food4Kids weekend student food initiative was put in place after identifying that Hastings students were hungry on Monday mornings.   Weekends without school meals can be especially tough for some families.  In partnership with Hastings Independent School District #200, Our Saviour’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Coborn’s, Food4Kids provides food bags for students that don’t have enough food to eat over the weekend.  School counselors along with teachers and family support workers confidentially identify students in need. The counselors work with the families, providing necessary food bags to the students for the weekend, and help to identify the root cause of hunger in the household so that necessary resources can help get families back on their feet.

“We are in the business of helping customers with their banking needs,” said Tanya Dolan, VP Retail Bank Manager, Premier Bank Minnesota. “But giving back to the community, like providing weekend food for students in need, is a priority for us. We are proud to support organizations like United Way of Hastings that are helping provide vital services for people who need our support.”

UWH and its partners deliver approximately 200 bags of food, each week, to students pre-K through 12^th grade.  If your organization would like to give food and help pack student food bags, contact United Way of Hastings at 651-438-3337.  To learn more about specific food items needed, visit https://unitedwayofhastings.org/site/food-4-kids/.

The UWH has been the Heart of Hastings for nearly 60 years working as an independent United Way serving Hastings and the surrounding rural communities within Independent School District #200.   Its mission is to build partnerships to improve the lives of people in the Hastings area. Initiatives and partner agencies funded by the UWH support Education, Health, and Financial Empowerment, with an emphasis on Youth. Donations are accepted year-round.  Every dollar raised in the community stays in the community.  For more information about the UWH, visit www.unitedwayofhastings.org.